Comparing VoIP Providers For Small Business
Solutions
By Michael Lemm
It is no secret that communication is key to survival for small business. The
advantage to small businesses of using a VoIP solution is that the market is very
competitive. While there are relatively few companies from which to choose for
normal phone service, many VoIP providers will gladly offer VoIP phone
service at a very competitive rate and with unlimited long distance.
But....you need to do your homework first.
Phone service features indispensable to your business, such as voicemail,
conferencing and call waiting, allow business to flow smoothly and efficiently. So....
how do you decide if a VoIP solution is best for your business?
One of the first steps when analyzing your current service is to decide what
features your business needs. Does it need multiple lines to accommodate the
sales force? What about a toll free number for customer service? Make a list of all
the features your office uses and think about others you might want to try.
The next step is to make an estimate of all intrastate (in- state), interstate
(state-to-state) and international calls. An easy way to estimate these numbers is
to view a recent phone bill. You might be surprised at how large or small your call
volume actually is. If you rely heavily on fax machines, consider the number of
incoming and outgoing faxes. As you review these numbers, remember to consult
growth projections for the rest of the year.
Once you've done all this...you're ready to go comparison shopping.
Here's some resources to help you do that:
* VoIP Comparison Reviews
VoIPReview does a good job comparing feature sets from each of the providers. Its
user reviews seem a bit skewed, but otherwise the site looks good.
* ZDNet Reviews
ZDNet usually has objective reviews. Read through its commentary on any of the
providers you are considering.
* Broadband Reports
Broadband reports has a specific area for review by users...with a regularly
updated scoring system. It's often skewed with a tad bit of emotion....and reviews
are mostly residential. But it does give you an idea for business use.
* Google
I'm sure most of you already do this, but once you've figured out what you're
looking for, perform a search on companies on Google to see what others have
said about it.
If you're willing to do a bit more work, contact various providers and create your
own comparison chart. You can begin your research by visiting voipreview.org.
The site offers VoIP facts and reviews of various broadband phone service
providers. Compare the business plans for different providers and research the
various features offered with each plan. Also, make sure your current Internet
connection can handle VoIP calls. The Web site testyourvoip.com will evaluate
and score your Internet connection. You'll know if it makes sense to run your
phone traffic over your broadband connection.
Here is a list and description of the top ten (supposedly) VoIP providers (includes
home plans for telecommuter staff).
- Axvoice
Axvoice has many plans for you to sign up. Unlimited call to USA/Canada plan
costs $ 18.99 per month. Unlimited international & USA/Canada plan costs $29.99.
Axvoice also has business plan starting from $ 39.99 per month.
- INVIVNI
INVIVNI has three plans, Residentials, Small Office, and Business. The Residential
plan costs $24.95 per month. The Small Office plan costs $32.95 per month, and
the Business plan costs is negotiable.
- VCInetwork
VCInetwork has three plans, Unlimited Long Distance :Home, Unlimited Long
Distance: Business and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe. Unlimited Long
Distance : Home plan costs $28.95 per month. Unlimited Long Distance : Business
plan costs $49.95 per month and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe plan
costs $14.50 per month.
- Skype
Skype is famous for their slogan, “The Whole World can Talk for Free”. Skype is a
free download and users can make free calls via, Skype to Skype. For a fee, you
can advance your Skype to Skype Out and make calls to landline phones. Skype
In will let your choose your area code and phone number. This way, friends and
relatives can call you locally, if you select the same area code. Skype is compatible
with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket Pc operating systems. Not really a good
business solution.
- Vonage
Probably the most well known VoIP providers, you may be surprised to discover
that Vonage is also one of the more expensive providers. Vonage offers two plans,
residential and small business. Residential users may choose between the Basic
500 plan and Unlimited. The Basic 500 plan offers 500 minutes of talk time for
$14.99 a month. The Premium Unlimited residential plan costs $24.99 per month.
The Small Business Basic plan costs $39.99 per month and allows 1500 minutes.
The Small Business Unlimited plan costs $49.99 a month and provides unlimited
calls throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
- Dialpad
Dialpad and Yahoo have merged services. Currently, Dialpad offers three plans-
Dialpad Monthly 300, Dialpad Monthly 500, and Dialpad USA. The cost for Dialpad
Monthly 300 is $7.50 per month, Dialpad Monthly 500 costs $9.99 per month, and
Dialpad USA costs $11.99 per month.
- Broadvox Direct
Broadvox Direct offers residential and small business services. Their residential
services include the Residential Choice Plus plan for $9.95 per month. The
Residential Choice Plus plan includes 100 outbound minutes and unlimited
incoming minutes. Their Residential Unlimited Plan costs $29.95 a month and
includes unlimited calling anywhere in the US and Canada. The SoHo Small
Business Regional Plan costs $34.95 per month and includes 1500
monthly minutes in the US and in Canada. The SoHo Small Business Unlimited
Plan costs $44.95 per month and includes unlimited calls in the US and Canada
and also includes a free fax line and Yellow Page listing.
- Galaxy Voice
Galaxy Voice offers two plans, Residential and Business. Their residential plan
costs $19.95 a month and includes unlimited calling, Voicemail, Caller Id, Call
Waiting, Call Return, Three Way Calling, and Call Forwarding. Their business plan
costs $39.95 per month and includes unlimited calling, Free Voice Mail, Free Call
Transfer, Free Call Forwarding, Free Repeat Dialing, and Free Caller ID block.
- Voice Pulse
Voice Pulse has three plans, America Unlimited, Local Unlimited +200, and
Business Unlimited. The America Unlimited plan costs $24.99 per month. The
Local Unlimited +200 costs $14.99 per month, and the Business Unlimited costs
$45.99 per month.
- VoIP American
VoIP American has three different plans. These are the VoIP American PBX plan,
the VoIP American Voice plan and the VoIP American bVoice plan. The VoIP
American PBX plan cost $19.99 a month for a private line and $44.99 a month for
unlimited calling. The VoIP Voice Residential Basic plan costs $14.99 per month
and the VoIP Voice Residential Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month. The bVoice
Business plan costs $34.99 per month.
- Packet 8
Packet 8 not only offers phone plans, but they also offer videophone plans. Their
residential plans are the Freedom International and Freedom Unlimited. Both of
these plans cost $19.99 per month. [note: currently they're running a special for
$9.95 per month for your 1st 3 months.] The Videophone plan is the Freedom
Unlimited and that too is $19.99 per month. Their business plans consists of three
different plans. These are the Virtual Office service plans, the Virtual Attendant
Service plans, and the Business Phone Service plans. The Virtual office phone
plan costs $39.95 per month, the Virtual Attendant service plan costs $14.95 per
month, and the Business Attendant service plan costs $34.95 per month.
- Sun Rocket
Sun Rocket offers their signature service for either $24.95 per month or $199.00
per year.
- Speakeasy
Speakeasy offers many different plans ranging from Home Office, Small Office I,
Small Office II, and Small Business. Their Home Office plan costs 79.90 per month,
the Small Office I plan costs $560.00 per month, the Small Office II plan costs
1,039 per month and the Small Business plan costs $2,349 per month.
Analyzing phone service is often a real headache. However, unreliable line quality,
which results in poor customer service and huge monthly bills are even worse. In
the end, doing your research will pay dividends for your business. Personally, I
have no reservations recommending Packet8 for your business VoIP solution
right now. However, go through the above steps first for your own peace of mind.....
you'll likely reach the same conclusion.
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including
Business-VoIP-Solution. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're
always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips,
resources, and insights.
Solutions
By Michael Lemm
It is no secret that communication is key to survival for small business. The
advantage to small businesses of using a VoIP solution is that the market is very
competitive. While there are relatively few companies from which to choose for
normal phone service, many VoIP providers will gladly offer VoIP phone
service at a very competitive rate and with unlimited long distance.
But....you need to do your homework first.
Phone service features indispensable to your business, such as voicemail,
conferencing and call waiting, allow business to flow smoothly and efficiently. So....
how do you decide if a VoIP solution is best for your business?
One of the first steps when analyzing your current service is to decide what
features your business needs. Does it need multiple lines to accommodate the
sales force? What about a toll free number for customer service? Make a list of all
the features your office uses and think about others you might want to try.
The next step is to make an estimate of all intrastate (in- state), interstate
(state-to-state) and international calls. An easy way to estimate these numbers is
to view a recent phone bill. You might be surprised at how large or small your call
volume actually is. If you rely heavily on fax machines, consider the number of
incoming and outgoing faxes. As you review these numbers, remember to consult
growth projections for the rest of the year.
Once you've done all this...you're ready to go comparison shopping.
Here's some resources to help you do that:
* VoIP Comparison Reviews
VoIPReview does a good job comparing feature sets from each of the providers. Its
user reviews seem a bit skewed, but otherwise the site looks good.
* ZDNet Reviews
ZDNet usually has objective reviews. Read through its commentary on any of the
providers you are considering.
* Broadband Reports
Broadband reports has a specific area for review by users...with a regularly
updated scoring system. It's often skewed with a tad bit of emotion....and reviews
are mostly residential. But it does give you an idea for business use.
I'm sure most of you already do this, but once you've figured out what you're
looking for, perform a search on companies on Google to see what others have
said about it.
If you're willing to do a bit more work, contact various providers and create your
own comparison chart. You can begin your research by visiting voipreview.org.
The site offers VoIP facts and reviews of various broadband phone service
providers. Compare the business plans for different providers and research the
various features offered with each plan. Also, make sure your current Internet
connection can handle VoIP calls. The Web site testyourvoip.com will evaluate
and score your Internet connection. You'll know if it makes sense to run your
phone traffic over your broadband connection.
Here is a list and description of the top ten (supposedly) VoIP providers (includes
home plans for telecommuter staff).
- Axvoice
Axvoice has many plans for you to sign up. Unlimited call to USA/Canada plan
costs $ 18.99 per month. Unlimited international & USA/Canada plan costs $29.99.
Axvoice also has business plan starting from $ 39.99 per month.
- INVIVNI
INVIVNI has three plans, Residentials, Small Office, and Business. The Residential
plan costs $24.95 per month. The Small Office plan costs $32.95 per month, and
the Business plan costs is negotiable.
- VCInetwork
VCInetwork has three plans, Unlimited Long Distance :Home, Unlimited Long
Distance: Business and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe. Unlimited Long
Distance : Home plan costs $28.95 per month. Unlimited Long Distance : Business
plan costs $49.95 per month and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe plan
costs $14.50 per month.
- Skype
Skype is famous for their slogan, “The Whole World can Talk for Free”. Skype is a
free download and users can make free calls via, Skype to Skype. For a fee, you
can advance your Skype to Skype Out and make calls to landline phones. Skype
In will let your choose your area code and phone number. This way, friends and
relatives can call you locally, if you select the same area code. Skype is compatible
with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket Pc operating systems. Not really a good
business solution.
- Vonage
Probably the most well known VoIP providers, you may be surprised to discover
that Vonage is also one of the more expensive providers. Vonage offers two plans,
residential and small business. Residential users may choose between the Basic
500 plan and Unlimited. The Basic 500 plan offers 500 minutes of talk time for
$14.99 a month. The Premium Unlimited residential plan costs $24.99 per month.
The Small Business Basic plan costs $39.99 per month and allows 1500 minutes.
The Small Business Unlimited plan costs $49.99 a month and provides unlimited
calls throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
- Dialpad
Dialpad and Yahoo have merged services. Currently, Dialpad offers three plans-
Dialpad Monthly 300, Dialpad Monthly 500, and Dialpad USA. The cost for Dialpad
Monthly 300 is $7.50 per month, Dialpad Monthly 500 costs $9.99 per month, and
Dialpad USA costs $11.99 per month.
- Broadvox Direct
Broadvox Direct offers residential and small business services. Their residential
services include the Residential Choice Plus plan for $9.95 per month. The
Residential Choice Plus plan includes 100 outbound minutes and unlimited
incoming minutes. Their Residential Unlimited Plan costs $29.95 a month and
includes unlimited calling anywhere in the US and Canada. The SoHo Small
Business Regional Plan costs $34.95 per month and includes 1500
monthly minutes in the US and in Canada. The SoHo Small Business Unlimited
Plan costs $44.95 per month and includes unlimited calls in the US and Canada
and also includes a free fax line and Yellow Page listing.
- Galaxy Voice
Galaxy Voice offers two plans, Residential and Business. Their residential plan
costs $19.95 a month and includes unlimited calling, Voicemail, Caller Id, Call
Waiting, Call Return, Three Way Calling, and Call Forwarding. Their business plan
costs $39.95 per month and includes unlimited calling, Free Voice Mail, Free Call
Transfer, Free Call Forwarding, Free Repeat Dialing, and Free Caller ID block.
- Voice Pulse
Voice Pulse has three plans, America Unlimited, Local Unlimited +200, and
Business Unlimited. The America Unlimited plan costs $24.99 per month. The
Local Unlimited +200 costs $14.99 per month, and the Business Unlimited costs
$45.99 per month.
- VoIP American
VoIP American has three different plans. These are the VoIP American PBX plan,
the VoIP American Voice plan and the VoIP American bVoice plan. The VoIP
American PBX plan cost $19.99 a month for a private line and $44.99 a month for
unlimited calling. The VoIP Voice Residential Basic plan costs $14.99 per month
and the VoIP Voice Residential Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month. The bVoice
Business plan costs $34.99 per month.
- Packet 8
Packet 8 not only offers phone plans, but they also offer videophone plans. Their
residential plans are the Freedom International and Freedom Unlimited. Both of
these plans cost $19.99 per month. [note: currently they're running a special for
$9.95 per month for your 1st 3 months.] The Videophone plan is the Freedom
Unlimited and that too is $19.99 per month. Their business plans consists of three
different plans. These are the Virtual Office service plans, the Virtual Attendant
Service plans, and the Business Phone Service plans. The Virtual office phone
plan costs $39.95 per month, the Virtual Attendant service plan costs $14.95 per
month, and the Business Attendant service plan costs $34.95 per month.
- Sun Rocket
Sun Rocket offers their signature service for either $24.95 per month or $199.00
per year.
- Speakeasy
Speakeasy offers many different plans ranging from Home Office, Small Office I,
Small Office II, and Small Business. Their Home Office plan costs 79.90 per month,
the Small Office I plan costs $560.00 per month, the Small Office II plan costs
1,039 per month and the Small Business plan costs $2,349 per month.
Analyzing phone service is often a real headache. However, unreliable line quality,
which results in poor customer service and huge monthly bills are even worse. In
the end, doing your research will pay dividends for your business. Personally, I
have no reservations recommending Packet8 for your business VoIP solution
right now. However, go through the above steps first for your own peace of mind.....
you'll likely reach the same conclusion.
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including
Business-VoIP-Solution. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're
always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips,
resources, and insights.
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